


Reality's Slap in the Face

by sinfuldesire_archivist



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-15
Updated: 2011-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-03 10:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8709226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinfuldesire_archivist/pseuds/sinfuldesire_archivist
Summary: Coda to ELAC.  I always wondered how Dean managed to come up with the money it would have taken to fix the totaled Impala.  This is just my version of how it might have happened.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the Sinful Desire archivists: this story was originally archived at [Sinful-Desire.org](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sinful_Desire). To preserve the archive, we began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2016. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [Sinful Desire collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/sinfuldesire/profile).

  
Author's notes: This story is a Sam and Dean story, but it is NOT Wincest. It's my very first story writing Sam and Dean and I'd like to hear what ya'll think. I value your opinions a lot more than I do those at fanfiction dot net.  


* * *

Sam stood at the screen door in the kitchen and watched his brother working on the currently rutted shell of the Impala. His heart was heavy with a sadness he had never felt before over the situation he and Dean currently found themselves in. He sighed heavily as he thought back over all that had happened in the past few weeks.

 

It was going on almost three weeks that the Winchester brothers had been staying with Bobby since Dean was released from the hospital. While Sam had spent the first few days immersed in Bobby’s extensive library, Dean threw himself into the repair work on his beloved Impala to the point that everything else was completely ignored – including his brother. It seemed Bobby was the only person Dean would acknowledge these days and even that was only when it concerned his car. 

 

Sam had tried on several occasions to talk to Dean, only to have his brother literally slam the door in his face and yell at him to deal with his own problems himself. The one time Sam pushed back ended with Dean adding more bruises to the slow healing cuts and previous bruising around Sam’s face where the accident and another demon had caused previous injury. 

 

Sam winced and rubbed lightly at the slightly faded bruise that had decorated his right eye for the past week. He remembered that fight all too clearly. 

 

*** FLASHBACK*** 

 

Dean muttered under his breath at the unyielding piece of cross beam that was refusing to fit into its slot on the frame. It had once again snagged on something he couldn’t see. 

 

“DAMMIT!” he cursed as he wrenched the piece out of the slot and it scrapped across his forearm. Dean held the piece to his chest and rolled out from underneath the chassis and glared at the offending object. 

 

It was the sight of a beer bottle waving in front of his face that made him look away from the part and up at the holder of the bottle. Dean sighed when he saw it was Sam and said nothing. 

 

“You look like you needed this,” Sam offered. 

 

Dean took the beer and only nodded. He stood up quickly, causing Sam to stumble back a few steps. Dean only took a long pull from the bottle as he walked over to the workbench he had set up. He set the bottle down, grabbed a hammer and started pounding on the piece of metal, trying to ignore the fact that his brother had moved over to his side and was watching him. 

 

After a few moments of Sam staring over his shoulder, Dean finally had enough and turned on him. “You need something Sam?” he asked harshly. 

 

Sam shook his head. “Not really. Just thought I’d see if I could help you out in any way.”

 

Dean snorted and turned back to the piece. “Car’s messed up enough without you lending a hand to it.”

 

Sam frowned at the anger in his older brother’s tone. “I just thought I’d offer it up.”

 

“Why Sam?” Dean demanded. “We both know you don’t know a damned thing about cars and I don’t have the time to play Auto Mechanics 101 with you. So why the sudden interest in car repair?”

 

Sam shrugged. “No reason, Dean. I just thought it’d be nice to try and do something together. I’ve been cooped up in Bobby’s house since we got here while you’re working in the hot sun. I thought maybe some extra hands would help you.”

 

“Yeah, they would, but not yours,” Dean mumbled but Sam still overheard him. 

 

“Never mind then,” Sam relented. “I just thought you might want to spend some time together and . . .”

 

“And what?” Dean angrily interrupted. He got right up into his brother’s personal space and glared at him. “You want to sit in the dirt under the car with me and talk! Is that it? You figure if I’m trapped under the car then I can’t go anywhere and it’ll give you the chance to pour your heart out to me.”

 

“NO!” Sam replied indignantly even though he knew his brother had guessed his motives. 

 

“Yeah right,” Dean backed away and resumed his spot at the workbench. “Don’t feed me that crap Sam. You’ve been trying to have this big chick flick discussion ever since we finished that last hunt. I told you to deal with it on your own. I’m not your shrink.”

 

“That’s not it,” Sam tried again. “I just want to spend time with you. We’ve hardly spent five minutes together since we got back.”

 

“And what?” Dean turned to face his brother, his features portraying a mocking pity. “You lonesome and need a friend?” Dean’s face twisted back into the scowl it had been wearing since the accident. “Then go to the library in town and make one. Just leave me alone.”

 

Dean started working on the piece again, sighing and dropping it down to the workbench in frustration and anger when his brother responded back. 

 

“That’s not what I want, Dean,” Sam tried again. 

 

Dean’s frustration finally boiled over. He turned and before Sam could even blink at the sudden movement, he found himself laying on the ground, dizzy and feeling a burning pain on the side of his head. Blinking rapidly to clear the tears that quickly formed, as well as to try and control the dizziness, Sam did not hear the anguished yell that came from the house.”

 

“What the hell is the matter with you boy!” Bobby’s voice bellowed. Sam barely registered the words before he felt someone kneeling down next to him and gently turning his head towards them. 

 

“Let me see how bad Sam?” Bobby’s voice was gentle and soft. 

 

Sam pulled back and broke Bobby’s hold. He glanced up at his brother and frowned at the sight of Dean with his back to him, paying attention once again to the part on the workbench. Dean didn’t appear to be the least bit phased by the fact that he had just hit Sam in anger. Sam shook his head sadly, got up and headed into the house.

 

***End Flashback***

 

Sam remembered hearing Bobby yell at Dean for a good five minutes after he saw what he did to his younger brother, but it was all in vain. Dean only shrugged at the man and told him to mind his own business. Since then, Dean avoided Sam at all costs, even to go so far as to moving his belongings into a different bedroom and making sure to take his food outside to eat, just to avoid his brother. 

 

Sam was hurting himself, and not just from the lingering bruises from the accident. Dean was acting like he was the only one to have lost his father. He completely overlooked the fact that Sam had lost his father too. Another loss for him to deal with in a long line of people he loved unconditionally. If it wasn’t for the support that Bobby offered him, Sam was sure he would have given in to his grief and done something drastic. 

 

Sam then remembered the next argument that he had with his brother, just a few days after this last one, and how he had almost left for good over it. 

 

*****Flashback*****

 

Bobby was rummaging through the cabinets and refrigerator, trying to decide what to make for lunch when the sounds of voices raised in anger could be hear through the open kitchen window. Knowing immediately it was Sam and Dean going at it once again, and not wanting to interfere because they were at least talking to each other, Bobby stood at the kitchen window watching, wanting to make sure that Dean didn’t try to haul off and hit his brother again. 

 

He didn’t have to worry about that happening though. He heard Dean very clearly tell his brother “to leave him alone before he caused someone to die.” Bobby gnashed his teeth in anger at the eldest Winchester, but turned his attention to Sam, watching the young man slump his shoulders in defeat and move quickly away from his brother and into the house. 

 

Bobby turned from the window just as Sam pulled the screen door open and ran through the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. Sighing, Bobby took off his ever present cap, rubbed a hand over his head and put the cap back on. He decided he would wait until later to confront Dean over what he just heard. He had a more immediate concern, and that was knowing that the youngest Winchester was about to bolt. 

 

Climbing the stairs quietly, Bobby walked into the bedroom Sam was sleeping in alone to find the younger man packing his belongings. Leaning against the door jab, he could hear Sam sniffling as he shoved his clothes into his duffel. 

 

“Going somewhere?” Bobby asked quietly. 

 

Sam spun around, startled for a moment, but quickly turned back when he saw it was Bobby. “I’m leaving,” Sam muttered as he continued to pack his duffel. “I can’t help him fix the car and he obviously doesn’t want me around him, so I’m leaving.”

 

Bobby nodded. “Where ya gonna go? You got enough money on ya?”

 

Sam paused at his words. He knew he didn’t have anywhere near enough money to get very far. Not wanting Bobby to know that though, he just shrugged. “I got enough.”

 

Bobby left the doorway and sat down on the bed next to the duffel. He grabbed Sam’s hand as he went to pack more clothes. “Sam . . .” Bobby began. 

 

Sam interrupted, shaking his head. “It’s okay Bobby. It’s obvious now that I’m not wanted around here and am only making his angrier.” He snorted. “He probably won’t even notice that I’ve left.”

 

“But I would,” Bobby commented back. “And you seem to be forgetting that this is my house, not his. If I didn’t want you here, I never would have brought you both here after you got outta the hospital. So don’t stand t here and tell me you’re not wanted.”

 

Sam gave Bobby a watery smile, but then shook his head. “I have to Bobby. I can’t just stay here and try staying out of his sight all the time.”

 

Bobby nodded, knowing that Sam was close to breaking and knew he needed to give the younger man an outlet, something to let him get away from the oppressive atmosphere that his brother was creating at the house. “Well, if you could hold off on the packing for a minute, I might have a solution to your problem.”

 

“Bobby,” Sam sighed as he sat down. “The only solution is for me to be able to leave.”

 

“Well, how about if you leave, but for only some hours each day and then come back?” Bobby asked. “I was at the diner the other day and talked to the owner. He is short a couple of busboys and kitchen help and would be more than happy to take you on for however long you wanted. I figured it’s a good option for both you. Get’s him the help he needs and get’s you out of this house everyday AND earning some money.”

 

 

Recognizing the peace offering for what it was, Sam thanked Bobby profusely and started his shift at the diner the next day. He was so happy to get away from his brother and out to where he could actually hold a conversation with someone and not get yelled at. He wasn’t even upset when he got home that first night and Dean didn’t even seem to notice that he’d been gone the whole day. 

 

*****End Flashback*****

 

So it was that another two weeks had passed with Sam leaving early in the morning and getting home just before dinner each night. He grabbed as many hours as he could take, working a lot of double shifts and using that money to help Bobby with some bills and groceries. He brought home supper at least every other night. Bobby was extremely happy because it meant they were getting some decent food for a chance. Dean, as usual, never even noticed. 

 

It was now one of the rare days that Sam took off work that found he and Bobby in the kitchen getting the table set for lunch. Sam sighed to himself as Dean once again dragged himself in from the yard where he had been working on the Impala, sat down at the kitchen table with him and Bobby and proceeded to eat his lunch like it was his last. Never once making eye contact with Sam, or even acknowledging that he was aware his brother was in the same room. 

 

Bobby tried a couple of times to include Sam in the conversation that he and Dean were having about the car, but since Sam’s knowledge of auto mechanics was next to nil, he couldn’t contribute anything that would make his presence known. So throughout another meal, Sam sat quietly, waiting for his brother to finish and head outdoors once again. 

 

Dean finished and pushed his plate away from him. He leaned back and took a swig from the ever present beer bottle in his hand. “So Bobby, have you heard from your buddy across town yet?”

 

Bobby nodded. “Yeah, and you ain’t gonna like it.”

 

Dean frowned, but leaned forward to listen to what Bobby found out. “Okay. I guess you may as well tell me.”

 

“He found a 67 Impala in another junkyard and is having it towed over to his place. Supposedly, the body isn’t in the greatest of conditions, has a lot of rust and holes in it. But the frame is intact and some of the molding can be reused. He also said the engine appeared to be in good shape, even had some modifications done to it lately to better the performance,” Bobby explained. 

 

Dean shook his head in annoyance. “So what is it about all that I’m not gonna like? It sounds like it’s exactly what I need.

 

Bobby looked Dean straight in the eye. “He wants at least $5,000 for it.”

 

“WHAT!” Dean exclaimed. “What the hell makes him think he’s gonna get that kinda money for an engine.”

 

“He won’t sell just the engine, it’s the whole car or no deal,” Bobby reiterated. “I told you the guy was an asshole.”

 

“Great. Just friggin’ great!” Dean griped. He stood up and shoved his chair back and headed out the door mumbling to himself about useless cars and something else neither Bobby nor Sam could hear as he walked away. 

 

“Well, that went over a lot better than I expected,” Bobby stated sarcastically. 

 

Sam gave him a small smile. “Is the guy really that much of an asshole that he won’t negotiate?”

 

Bobby nodded. “Yeah, he is. I know what you’re thinking there boy and you can forget it. The guys a real piece of work, but he knows his salvage. If he says the engine is in good shape, he means it.”

 

Sam sighed again. “Guess there’s not much we can do about it then.” He looked up at the clock on the wall and saw the time. “I’d better get going if I want to get back by supper.”

 

“Would you mind taking the flatbed Sam?” Bobby asked. “I’d like to keep the pickup here just in case Dean decides to take a look at the car anyway. I don’t want to drive that monster out there if I don’t have to.”

 

“Sure Bobby, no problem,” Sam agreed. He grabbed his wallet and headed out the front door to Bobby’s flatbed truck. He knew Bobby asked him to take it because it meant he could leave without Dean seeing him from the back. Not that Dean would acknowledge it in any way. 

 

It didn’t take Sam long to reach the diner. Today was his day off, but it was also payday and he wanted to pick up his check. They were running low on some groceries. Sam though that maybe treating everyone to steaks for dinner might bring Dean out of the depression he had fallen into since their father died. 

 

Sam pulled into the parking lot and walked in. Strolling right up to the front counter, he caught the attention of the girl working behind it. “Hey Sheila” he greeted. “Is Curt around?” 

 

Sheila smiled. “Nope, you’re lucky this time kiddo. He took the afternoon off to run some personal errands. Did you need something?”

 

“Just came in to pick up my check,” Sam told her. “Guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

 

Sheila just pat his hand. “No you won’t. Hang on sec.” She disappeared into the owners office and came back a moment later waving an envelope with Sam’s check. “I made sure he left everyone’s checks so I could give them out.”

 

Sam smiled gratefully. “Thanks Sheila.”

 

“Your welcome sweetie. Is there anything else you needed?” she asked. 

 

Sam was about to shake his head no, when an idea suddenly struck. He looked at his friend and co-worker sheepishly. “Actually, now that you mention it.”

 

“What do you need Sam?” Sheila prodded knowingly.

 

“You got any fresh baked pies?” he asked, thinking that it might help Dean’s attitude even more if he had a homemade pie to go with dinner.

 

Sheila laughed. “Actually, I just put a batch of pies in to bake. One of them is Dutch Apple. Is that what you want for your brother?”

 

Sam’s cheeks blushed in embarrassment. “Yeah, how’d you guess?”

 

“Oh Lordy Sam! Your brother is the only person I know that can make apple pie sound like a food group all in its own,” Sheila exclaimed. “Can you stop on by in about an hour and I’ll have it all boxed up and ready to go?”

 

“You bet,” Sam nodded. He turned away from the counter to go when he heard his name called. 

 

“HEY WINCHESTER! Hold up a sec.”

 

Sam turned to the voice and saw his other co-worker, Marty, headed towards him. Sam nodded a greeting to him. “What’s up Marty?”

 

“Just wondered if you wouldn’t mind switching shifts with me this Saturday?” Marty asked. “My girlfriend has been bugging me to take her over to that new movie all week and I haven’t had the time.”

 

“No problem Marty. Don’t worry about it. I’ll just work your shift and mine and you can swap with me later,” Sam assured him. 

 

“You sure you don’t mind?” Marty questioned. “It means working a double shift for you.”

 

Sam thought about the conversation at the lunch table and how much the car engine was going to cost. “Yeah, I don’t mind. I really need the money.”

 

Marty clamped him on the shoulder. “Thanks Sam. I owe you big for this.”

 

Sam waved him off and watched as his friend excitedly grabbed his cell phone to call his girlfriend. What he hadn’t been aware of was the man and woman in the diner who had been watching him quite closely. The man now approached Sam from behind. 

 

“Hello Sam,” the man greeted quietly. 

 

Sam startled at the voice behind him and turned quickly to see who is was. His face registered his shock at seeing Jessica’s father standing right in front of him. 

 

“Mr. . . Mr. Moore? What are you doing here?” he stammered. 

 

James Moore gestured to the woman at the table behind him. “Gail and I are stuck in town for a few days,” he stated. 

 

Sam looked past Mr. Moore and saw Jessica’s mom sitting at the table. He and James walked over and joined her. Gail stood up to greet Sam as he came up to the table. 

 

“Sam. It’s so good to see you again,” Gail greeted. “It’s been a while.”

 

“Yes ma’am,” Sam agreed, his voice sad. He had really liked Jessica’s parents and suddenly felt bad about never contacting them since their daughter’s death. 

 

“So what are you doing here in town?” James wondered. “It sounds like you’re working here at the diner.”

 

“I am, temporarily,” Sam explained. “My brother and I were in a car accident and we’re staying with a friend while he fixes the car. I’m not exactly mechanically inclined to help him, so I got this job here in town so I would avoid going crazy at home.”

 

“What happened to law school?” Gail gently asked. 

 

Sam frowned, then shrugged. “I sorta lost interest in school after Jess . . .” he choked up. 

 

Gail took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “We understand. It hasn’t been easy on us either.”

 

“Would you two excuse me for a moment,” James apologized. He shot his wife a knowing look and she nodded in agreement. “I have something to take care of.”

 

Before Sam could respond, James left the diner and Sam watched him climb into a car and drive off. “Was it something I said?” he asked, puzzled. 

 

“Oh no dear,” Gail assured him. “We’ll explain it all when he comes back. Don’t worry.”

 

Sam gave her a confused look, but didn’t press the issue. “Uhm, Mr. Moore said you guys were stuck here? What did he mean by that?”

 

Gail sighed in exasperation. “Oh, we were on a road trip and the car broke down. It’s at some garage across the street and I seriously doubt the guy is going to fix it properly. I swear I saw him drooling when they towed the car in, probably figuring he could rob us blind on a bunch of work we don’t need to have done.”

 

Sam frowned. “I could have my uncle come over take a look if you’re concerned about it. He’s a pretty good mechanics.”

 

“That’s alright. Luckily James is a bit of a garage mechanic himself and was able to keep the guy from overcharging us,” Gail stated. 

 

“That’s good. But the offer still stands if you need it,” Sam reiterated. 

 

The two made small talk for a while when James finally rejoined them. He sat at the table and nodded to Gail. 

 

“Sam,” he began. “There’s something Gail and I have been holding onto since the fire, intending on making sure you got it. However, we never had the chance to catch up with you until now.”

 

Sam looked back and forth between the two of them, puzzled. “What exactly is it? I mean I thought all our stuff got destroyed in the fire.”

 

Gail nodded. “It did Sam. I take it Jessica never told you that we had put a renter’s insurance policy on the apartment?”

 

Sam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, she didn’t. But then again it was her apartment first before I moved into it. I didn’t know anything about the lease or stuff.”

 

James nodded and placed a thick envelope on the table. “Well, we did. Not that we expected the fire to happen, we were thinking more along the lines of her being robbed or vandalized. I mean, even though it was an off-campus apartment, you guys were still only a few block away from the school.”

 

“In any event, everything in the apartment was insured,” Gail explained. “After the insurance company did their investigation and determined the cause to be an accident, they paid out the claim. We intended on giving you the money but you had already left Palo Alto and none of your friends knew how to get in touch with you.”

 

Sam had paled when Gail said the fire was an accident. He knew otherwise and once again felt weighted down by the guilt he had experienced after Jessica’s death. The words that Gail had spoken finally filtered through to him and he looked up in shock. “Wait? Money? You’re giving me the insurance money?” 

 

Both James and Gail nodded. 

 

Sam shook his head. “No, no no no, I can’t accept that. You guys put that money up to protect your daughter, not me.”

 

Gail once again took Sam’s hand in hers. “Sam, please don’t turn it down. James and I discussed this in great length and we both know that Jessica would have wanted you to take it so you could move on. You lost everything in that fire too.”

 

Sam shook his head again. “I can’t. It’s just not right.”

 

“Nonsense,” James waved the excuse aside. He pushed the envelope over in front of Sam. “There’s $25,000 there in traveler’s checks. You can deposit them into your own bank, or just cash the checks. We really didn’t know the best way to give it to you.”

 

“We both felt that giving you cash would be too unyielding,” Gail continued. “A cashier’s check would have worked, but you might have had trouble cashing it at a bank you didn’t have an account with. When your friends told us your brother took you from school and you were both off on a road trip, we thought traveler’s checks would be the best way.”

 

Sam was in a quandary. As much as they needed the money, it was too painful of a reminder of how he lost Jessica. A whole range of emotions played across his face. Sam jumped, startled when he felt a strong hand clamp down on his shoulder. He looked up at James and it was only then that he noticed that Gail had left the table.”

 

“Sam, I know how you felt about Jessica,” James began. He pulled out something from his pocket. “When we cleaned out the apartment, I found the engagement ring.” He placed the ring on the table between them. 

 

Sam swallowed hard, tears springing to his eyes when he saw the ring. 

 

“I made sure that Gail never saw it,” James voice was sad. “She used to tease Jess whenever she talked to her about when she was going to get you to propose. Gail really likes you and wanted you for a son-in-law.”

 

“I would have loved that too,” Sam choked out. He looked out across the diner and saw Sheila looking at him, concerned. Sam sent her a small smile and shook his head.”

 

“When we got the settlement, Gail was adamant about not spending it and that we should try and find you. She wanted you to have it right from the start,” James explained. “I tried to tell her that without any knowing where you were or how to reach you it could be a long time before we saw you again. She didn’t care. I really don’t want to have to go out to her and tell her you wouldn’t take the money Sam.” 

 

James stood up from the table. “It was really good to see you again son. Please, don’t be a stranger. Even if it’s just a Christmas card every year, just let us know you are doing alright.” With that, he turned and walked out of the diner. 

 

Sam sat quietly at the table trying to compose himself. He only once peeked into the envelope and saw all the booklets of traveler’s checks inside it. Sheila finally came over and sat across from him. 

 

“Sam? Are you alright?” she asked quietly. 

 

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Those were the parents of my girlfriend. She died a few years ago and just seeing them again brought back some painful memories.”

 

“I’m so sorry sweetie,” Sheila reached across and gripped Sam’s wrist. It wasn’t a strong grip, but it was enough to ground Sam for a few moments. He quickly pulled himself together though. 

 

“Thanks. I’ll be alright in a little bit,” Sam assured her. “Seeing them again was just a surprise, that’s all.”

 

“I’m sure it was,” Sheila agreed. “They seem like nice people though. Been in here a couple of times to eat or for just coffee. I sure hope that idiot doesn’t take advantage of them over their car.”

 

Sam frowned. “Maybe I should give Bobby a call and ask him to check it out.”

 

“I would, Sam. Bobby’s got a history with that guy and if he knows someone is keeping an eye on him, he won’t screw your friends,” Sheila explained. She got up from the table. “Gotta get back to work here. If you need anything sweetie, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll have that pie ready for you in about 15 minutes.”

 

Sam only nodded, only half listening as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Bobby. He listened as it rang a few times and Bobby answered. 

 

“What’s up Sam?”

 

“Hey Bobby. Listen, are you busy with Dean? You guys going to head out to the other junkyard?” Sam wondered. 

 

“Nah. I asked Dean if he wanted to and he said what’s the point. The guy said he would hold onto the car until tomorrow in case we changed our mind.”

 

“Well, if you’re going to be home, I wonder if you could do me a favor?” Sam asked.

 

“Sure thing Sam. What’cha need?”

 

“Well,” Sam hesitated a moment. “I ran into someone in town. They had some car trouble and their car is over at Bradley’s.”

 

“Damn!” Sam heard Bobby cuss. “You need me to get over there and tow it here?”

 

“No,” Sam smiled. “My friend knows a little bit about mechanics. I was just hoping you could maybe call over there and give Bradley what for and make sure he doesn’t overcharge them or try and cheat them.”

 

“It would be my pleasure Sam. What’s your friend’s name?”

 

Sam cleared this throat. “It’s uh. . .Moore. James Moore.”

 

“Moore, as in . . .” Bobby trailed off. He knew Jessica’s last name had been Moore. “You okay there, Sam?”

 

“I’m okay Bobby,” Sam assured him. “And yes, they’re Jessica’s parents. 

 

“Okay Sam. I’ll call him and throw some threats his way. You on your way back?”

 

Sam looked down at the envelope in his hand, an idea forming. “Not for a while yet Bobby. I was visiting with the Moore’s and hadn’t gotten any of my errands done yet. I’ll come back though if you need the truck.”

 

“No Sam. I don’t need it,” Bobby assured him. “Just wondered what to say in case Dean asks where you are.”

 

Sam snorted. “Yeah right, because he’s been so concerned about me since the accident.”

 

“Sam ...” Bobby sighed, although he knew he was right. Dean wasn’t even acknowledging his younger brother, much less showing any interest in where Sam was or what he was doing. Bobby doubted that Dean even knew Sam was working at the diner.

 

“I should be home by dinnertime, Bobby,” Sam promised. “I’ll even bring home supper so no one will have to cook. How does that sound?”

 

“You don’t have to twist my arm on that one Sam. If it means I ain’t gotta cook, bring it on!”

 

Sam finally grinned at his friend’s enthusiasm. “Okay. Then let me go so I can get running on my errands. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

 

Sam hung up and stood for a moment, thinking through the errands he needed to run. He finally got moving. “Sheila, is that pie ready yet?”

 

Sheila held up a white box. “Fresh from the oven and packaged to go.” She handed it to him. “Hope Dean enjoys it.”

 

Sam nodded his thanks as he quickly left the diner and ran to Bobby’s truck. 

 

***** 

 

It was just coming onto dusk when Sam finally turned the truck onto the road to Singer Salvage. He was absolutely starving as the smell from the fried chicken had been wafting up at him through the bags for the past few miles. As he approached Bobby’s house, he noticed that the tow truck was gone. Sam looked over to where the shell of the Impala sat and saw that Dean had cleared up the area, which Sam knew meant he was done for the day. 

 

Smiling, Sam pulled the truck up right next to the Impala. Climbing out, he quickly grabbed at some of the bags piled in the front seat and strode briskly to the house. “Bobby! Dean!” he called out. Not hearing an answer, he turned to head back out to grab more bags. A note taped to the refrigerator caught his eye. 

 

“Sam

 

Got a call for a tow, Dean went with me. Be back around 6.

 

Bobby

 

Sam grinned. That meant he could get everything in and put away before they got back. Moving quickly, he unloaded the truck bringing in bags of groceries and put them on the kitchen counter. His last trip to the truck, he grabbed the folder that had been sitting on the front seat, as well as the last of the bags and returned to the house. Those bags, he took up to his room, putting a few down in there and then moved to Dean’s room and set a few down there. He then went back downstairs to put the groceries away and get dinner set up. 

 

Sam had put dinner in the oven to warm up while waiting for the guys to return. Sitting in the living room, the lights from Bobby’s truck pierced through the curtains as he pulled the truck up to the front of the house. Sam got up and went into the kitchen, pulling dinner out of the oven. 

 

“We’re back Sam!” Bobby called out. 

 

“Dinner’s on,” Sam called back. “Come and get it while it’s hot.”

 

Dean needed no further urging. His mouth watered at the smell of fried chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy. He quickly filled up his plate and sat down to start eating. 

 

“Don’t ya want to at least wait for your brother to join us?” Bobby asked sarcastically, shaking his head at Dean. 

 

Dean only shrugged and kept eating. “It’s okay Bobby,” Sam stated as he sat down. “I know he’s probably starving.”

 

“Still no reason to let table manners fly out the window,” Bobby grumbled. Sam only shook his head at him and glanced in Dean’s direction. Bobby looked over to the older brother and could see that, for once, Dean seemed to be happy. 

 

The three men ate in silence until all the food was gone. Dean sat back and patted his stomach. “Thanks Bobby. That was a great meal.”

 

Bobby had started cleaning up when Dean spoke, so he turned and smacked Dean on the back of the head. 

 

“What the hell was that for!” Dean demanded as he rubbed the back of his head. 

 

“Try thanking your brother for it, you damned fool. He’s the one that bought dinner home, not me.”

 

“Yeah, so? You paid for it, didn’t you?” Dean questioned. “Sam just ran and got it.” He got up and walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa. 

 

Sam shook his head at Bobby, urging him in a silent way to not pursue it any further. “It’s okay Bobby, really. He’s happy right now. Don’t screw that up.”

 

“It’s not right Sam. He’s taking his bad mood out on you all the time, and for no reason,” Bobby stated. 

 

Sam just shrugged and helped clear up the table. Bobby watched him and noted that Sam appeared to be distracted and much quieter than he had been. 

 

“Sam? Are you sure you’re okay?” Bobby asked him gently. “Did seeing Jessica’s parents upset you too much?”

 

Sam shook his head. “Not really. It just brought back a lot of memories.”

 

“I’ll bet,” Bobby agreed. “Dean told me you were pretty busted up for a while after she died.”

 

Again, Sam nodded. “Yeah. Kinda ironic really.”

 

Bobby frowned. “How so?”

 

“My girlfriend dies because of a demon and Dean does all he can to make sure I’m dealing with it okay. Same demon kills my father and Dean could care less,” Sam explained. “I mean, I know the circumstances are different but still.”

 

Bobby reached out and gripped Sam’s shoulder. “You’re brother might not be here for you right now, Sam. But I am.” 

 

Sam smiled at Bobby and pat his hand. The moment was interrupted when the screen door to the backyard slammed shut. Bobby and Sam looked over at Dean who had walked in. 

 

“Uh, Bobby? Did you cut some sort of deal with your junkyard friend for the car?” Dean wondered. 

 

“Huh? What you yammering about Dean?” Bobby demanded. “I told you that bastard wouldn’t give on the car.”

 

“Okay. So can you explain to me then why the car is sitting on your flatbed truck in the yard?”

 

“What!” Bobby exclaimed. He rushed outside with Dean following him. Sam sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for them to come back in knowing that an explanation would be demanded. 

 

Within ten minutes, both came back in, puzzled over how the car got there. Bobby looked to Sam. “You wanna explain that Sam?”

 

“How the hell would Sam know?” Dean argued. 

 

Bobby rolled his eyes. “Maybe because your brother has been driving the flatbed all day, you idgit!”

 

Dean looked surprised and turned that look to his brother. “Sam?”

 

Sam shrugged. “You needed the car to rebuild ours, you got the car.”

 

“Don’t play dumb with me Sam,” Dean ordered. “Where the hell did you get $5,000 to pay for that car!” 

 

Instead of answering, Sam pulled the envelope that contained the rest of the traveler’s checks from his back pocket. He put the envelope on the table and pushed it towards Dean. “From there.”

 

Dean grabbed the envelope and looked inside. His eyes grew big when he saw the checks and quickly calculated what he was seeing. “Sam, there’s gotta be about $20,000 here. Where did you get it? Did you steal this?”

 

Sam looked at Dean, affronted. “No, I did not steal it. It was given to me.”

 

Dean snorted. “Nobody just gives you $20,000 Sam.”

 

“Actually, it was $25,000 and there’s about $16,000 in there,” Sam stated smugly. “I paid for the car and the guy put it on the flatbed for me.”

 

“SAM!” Dean’s patience was growing thin. 

 

“Sam,” Bobby asked quietly. “Does this have to do with your run-in with Jessica’s parents this morning?”

 

“What run-in?” Dean again demanded. 

 

Bobby smacked him again. “Maybe if you’d paid a bit more attention to what was going on around you for the past few weeks, you’d know the answer.”

 

“It’s okay Bobby,” Sam responded. “Yes, it does have to do with seeing the Moore’s. They told me that they had put an insurance policy on the apartment. I didn’t know anything about it. Mrs. Moore insisted that the money be given to me because I lost everything I had in there.” He paused and sniffled for a moment when he remembered the fire. “I didn’t want to take it at first, but Mr. Moore insisted. They both left before I had a chance to really think about it.”

 

“And you went out and got the car?” Dean asked incredulously. 

 

“I know I probably shouldn’t have,” Sam admitted. “I wouldn’t know if he sold me a piece of junk or not. I should have waited for you and Bobby to go look, but Bobby said he trusted the guy. That was good enough for me. So yeah, I went and got it.”

 

Dean sat back in shock. He couldn’t think of anything to say. 

 

“That’s not all I bought,” Sam admitted. “We both really needed some new clothes too, so I bought us some stuff at the Army/Navy store. I put your bags on the bed in your room, Dean. I also got a new laptop.”

 

Bobby chuckled. “Good. You needed a new one even if the old one hadn’t been destroyed.”

 

Sam nodded. He then looked at Bobby nervously. “Bobby, I did something for you too.”

 

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Sam,” Bobby chastised him. 

 

“Yeah, I did,” Sam countered. “You’ve been really good about letting us stay here and I know that’s added to your food bill and utilities.” He gestured to the kitchen. “I went grocery shopping too and stocked up on a lot of food. We should be set for about a week.”

 

Bobby got up and opened the fridge. It was overloaded with food items. 

 

“I did one more thing too Bobby,” Sam admitted. “I saw the folder on the front seat of all the bills you had to pay. Please, don’t be mad at me, but I went to a cash store and paid all your utility bills, or at least, got them all up to date. You’re not behind on anything now.”

 

“Sam!” Bobby was exasperated. “You really didn’t have to do that. That’s too much.”

 

Sam shook his head. “No it wasn’t. You got behind on all that because of us. I know you’ve been using your money to help Dean get parts for the Impala, not to mention keeping us in food. I had to do it!”

 

Bobby couldn’t think of anything else to say so instead, he just pulled Sam into a hug. “Thanks boy.”

 

Sam stepped out of the hug and smiled. Both men turned to look at Dean, who was still sitting down staring at the money. Sam frowned at his lack of enthusiasm over the fact that for once, they had some money. Sam mistook his silence for anger at him. 

 

“I know I probably should have just given you the money and let you check out the car first, Dean,” Sam began. “I hope it’s okay and that you’re able to fix our car with the parts from it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I was planning, I just sorta got caught up in the idea and did it before I really thought it through. I’m sorry.”

 

Sam turned and climbed the stairs to his room. He didn’t see Dean turn to look at him, the question waiting to be asked. Dean frowned and looked to Bobby. “What was that all about?”

 

Bobby snorted. “Where the hell have you been for the past few weeks Dean, off in La La Land?”

 

Dean sighed. “Bobby . . .”

 

“No Dean, not this time. I’m not brushing it off again because you don’t feel like talking about it,” Bobby retorted. “You’ve pretty much shut Sam out of your life since you came home from the hospital. You haven’t had one civil word with him, hardly ever acknowledge him if he’s standing right next to you. Hell, are you even aware that the kid’s been working himself to the bone trying to help raise the money you were using to fix the car before this financial windfall!”

 

“Sam got a job?” Dean looked down at the money still in his hands. “I didn’t know,” he replied softly.

 

“Why Dean?” Bobby has to ask. “You’re whole life you made Sam your number one priority. If Sam was in another state from you and blew his nose you’d know which side produced most of the snot for shit’s sake.” Dean grimaced at that image. “There is nothing that kid does that you don’t know about. So why all of a sudden is he nothing more than bug on your windshield?”

 

Dean sat down at the table. “I didn’t want to have to deal with him. I couldn’t deal with him at first. You know how Sam is. He always has to talk everything through. How the hell was I supposed to explain to him how I felt about Dad giving his life for me.”

 

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe Sam might have had some insight into that problem and could actually help you?” Bobby reiterated. 

 

“How?” Dean demanded. “He never had anyone die for him.”

 

Bobby shook his head. “No? What about your mom? Don’t you think that she might have been killed because she was trying to protect her baby? What about Jessica? We don’t know the whole story here, but isn’t it possible that maybe, just maybe she was killed because she wouldn’t tell the demon where Sam was? You’re sitting here day after day grieving because you lost your dad, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But Sam, he’s lost his mother, his girlfriend, his father, and in some ways, his brother over the past few weeks. Don’t you think he’s hurting too? You clam up to deal with your hurts. Sam doesn’t, he can’t. He needs to talk them out and you KNOW that.”

 

Dean blinked furiously to keep the tears that had welled up during Bobby’s rant from falling. To distract himself for the moment, he reached over to the box that was sitting on the table and lift the lid. The wonderful smell of a fresh baked pie wafted up to him, causing him to close the lid. “Damn him,” he sniffled as the tears finally fell. 

 

Bobby reached over and opened the box, smiling at the sight of the Dutch Apple pie that was sitting inside. He walked over to the cabinet and took down some bowls. Reaching into the freezer, he pulled out the container of vanilla ice cream and walked back to the table. “Would be a shame to waste this good pie,” he commented as he set everything down. 

 

Dean smiled up at him and nodded. “Okay if Sam and me eat ours in the bedroom?”

 

“Just as long as you bring the bowls back down. I’m tired of finding your dirty dishes with lab experiments growing on them,” Bobby teased. Dean only grinned as he grabbed the two bowls and headed up stairs. 

 

***** 

 

Sam had headed straight up to his bedroom and lay down on the bed, his back to the door. He wrapped his arms around himself for comfort as the tears he held back until he reached the privacy of his room finally fell. He thought for sure Dean would finally be happy at the sight of the other car, knowing that he could now fix up his baby. But as usual, Dean never said a word to him, just dismissed him as he had been doing all along. 

 

Sam sniffled and turned his face into the pillow. He missed hearing the footsteps approach his room and the timid knock on the door. It wasn’t until he felt the bed dip that he realized someone was in his room. 

 

“I’m fine Bobby,” he sighed, figuring the elder man had come up to check on him.

 

“You’re far from fine Sam,” Dean’s voice softly replied. 

 

Sam jerked his head up and faced his brother. Surprise and shock were shining from his eyes as he looked at his brother. Dean frowned when he saw the look and finally realized exactly how much of an unsympathetic jackass he had been to his brother. 

 

Sam sniffled again and lay back down, turning slightly away from his brother. “Don’t trouble yourself over it, Dean. Just go finish your supper. There’s dessert in the box on the table.”

 

Dean smiled at that and placed a bowl of Dutch Apple Pie ala mode down on the bed in front of Sam. “Thought maybe we could eat our dessert together.”

 

Sam again looked at his brother and saw Dean spooning a bite of his pie into his mouth. Dean smiled at the warmth of the pie mixed with the cold of the ice cream. “Fresh baked too. Did Sheila make this?”

 

Sam only nodded. He looked at his own bowl and frowned. He wasn’t really hungry anymore. He turned when he felt Dean nudge his hip. 

 

“If you don’t start eating that, I’ll take it from you when I’m done with mine,” Dean warned playfully. 

 

Sam only moved the bowl to the night table at the head of his bed. “Go ahead. I know how much you love apple pie.” He lay back down, once again turning his back to his brother. 

 

Dean sighed. “Sam, I know I’ve been a real asshole the past few weeks to you. I can’t even really explain why I was. I just felt angry, hurt and confused all the time and just wanted to be left alone to try and work through it all.” He set his bowl down on the table next to his brother’s, rest his arm on his brother’s hip and leaned his weight onto it. “I was wrong to do that and I’m sorry. I know you probably won’t believe me, but I was actually going to talk to you tonight.”

 

Sam finally turned to face him. Although his eyes were red, Dean could tell that his little brother was angry, but was fighting to keep himself in control. “So why tonight? What big life altering circumstance hit you today that made you suddenly decide to start treating me like a person again? It can’t be just because of the car.”

 

Dean shook his head. “It wasn’t. I made the decision while Bobby was driving us back from the tow. See, it wasn’t a call to tow a car that broke down.” Dean sniffled this time and looked down at the floor. “There’d been an accident. A semi-truck hit an SUV and totaled it. The car that was behind the SUV couldn’t stop in time and ran into one of the tires of the semi near the back. That was the car we towed.”

 

Dean ran a palm over his face and stood up from the bed. He paced the floor for a moment, finally stopping at the wall across from the foot of Sam’s bed. Dean turned and lean up against it, his face tilted up towards the ceiling. “Seeing that wreck made me think of our accident and how we lost Dad. Cops were waiting for the Coroner to arrive because the two people in the SUV were killed. Bobby and I were getting ready to load up the car when another car came flying onto the scene. Before the cops could get to the people in it, they were out of the car and running towards the SUV. There was a kid there, well, actually he wasn’t a kid cause he was about my age. Anyway, he was screaming hysterically about getting them out. No one could understand what he was saying. The guy finally calmed down long enough to tell the cops that his father and younger brother were in the SUV and why wasn’t anyone helping them.”

 

Dean paused as his eyes filled with tears. Sam had moved from his prone position to sitting at the end of his bed, watching and listening quietly to his brother. 

 

“The cops finally got it through the guy’s head that they were dead; they were dead and there was nothing anyone could do for them,” Dean continued. “It took about 5 minutes for it all to sink into his head and when he did, he just dropped down to the ground and started crying. I tried to get the cops to move him because he was in our way to getting the other car off the scene, but they didn’t want to deal with it. I finally had to go over myself and get the guy moving. His buddy was with him, he was the one driving that car, but he was worthless. Just stood there gaping like a fish outta water, ya know? Anyway, I got the guy up and over to his friend’s car and into the passenger seat. I was pulling back and he grabbed my coat. Said he was sorry. I thought he was apologizing to me so I told him it was no big deal. He said no, he was sorry because the last words he had with his little brother were in anger because they’d been fighting. His dad had enough of their arguing and was taking his younger brother to his uncle’s house to stay until they both cooled off. The guy was sorry because he never got to apologize to his brother because the fight was his fault. He never got to tell him how sorry he was and how much he loved his younger brother.”

 

Dean looked down at his own brother who eyes were also filled with tears. “All I could think of was how close that story was to what I was doing to you. I realized that the guy didn’t care about the fact that his dad died. He was more upset because his younger brother died without them making up. In that moment, I guess reality decided to slap me in the face and I realized something. Dad made his decision, and even though I’m mad at him for doing it, I realized then that he did it for us because he knew we could make it through it all because we’d be there for each other.” Dean paused and shook his head. “I was just hoping all the way back home that it wasn’t too late for me to apologize to you, to do so before something bad happened to you.”

 

Sam’s response was to get up from the bed and envelop his brother in a hug. Dean balked for a moment, but then returned the hug just as tightly as Sam was. 

 

“You’ll never be too late, Dean,” Sam whispered. 

 

Dean allowed the hug to go for a moment longer before stepping back from it. “So, can we end this major chick-flick moment and eat our dessert or just let all the ice cream melt?”

 

Sam laughed and sat back down on the bed. Dean sat next to him and handed him his bowl. The two dug into the dessert. 

 

“So uhm, Sammy?” Dean began. “You sure you’re alright after seeing the Moore’s and all?”

 

Sam nodded. “Yeah. I think so. I was more surprised than anything at seeing them. The whole thing with the insurance money didn’t really hit me until after they left and I realized what it meant for us. I still kinda feel like a heel for being happy about having the money to fix up our car now using money that Jess had to die for me to have. That’s the hard part in all this.”

 

Dean reached over and rubbed his brother’s back. “I know Sammy, I know. But from what you told me about Jessica, I’m sure it’s what she’d want to have happen.”

 

Sam nodded. “Her folks said the same thing.”

 

Dean’s eyes fell on the unopened bags on Sam’s bed and he suddenly remembered what Sam said about getting them some things they needed. “So uh, what exactly did you get for me from the store,” Dean gestured towards the bags. 

 

“Oh, you know,” Sam grinned. “Some underwear, socks. They had a good sale on Underoo’s. I got you a couple of packages.”

 

“SAM,” Dean’s voice warned him.

 

Sam only chuckled. “Well, if you want to know what I bought you, go to your room and find out for yourself.”

 

“I got a better idea,” Dean countered. “How ‘bout if I go get all my stuff and bring it back in here. Just get your junk off my bed.”

 

Sam frowned. “Not sure you want to do that. I haven’t been sleeping very well the past few weeks and I’ll probably have nightmares again after seeing Jess’s folks.”

 

“All the more reason I need to move back in here,” Dean responded. “How come you haven’t been sleeping? I’ll bet you’ve been working too hard at the diner. Dammit Sammy, you haven’t even recovered from the accident and now you’re trying to kill yourself working long hours. Well no more. Tomorrow you are quitting that job.” Dean stood up and headed out the bedroom door. Sam could hear him muttering as he walked down the hallway. ‘knew you wouldn’t take care of yourself if I wasn’t watching you like a hawk. Damned idiot little brothers. Can’t be left alone for five minutes without getting into trouble.”

 

Sam lay back on his bed and laughed out loud. Bobby stuck his head through the doorway and grinned at him. “Everything okay in here? What is Dean yammerin about now?”

 

Sam smiled back at Bobby. “Everything’s just fine Bobby. Dean’s just being Dean.”

 

“’Bout damn time,” Bobby muttered as he pulled back and headed back down stairs. Sam laughed again when Bobby’s words were still heard as he walked away. “You two idgits will be the death of me yet.”

 

The End


End file.
